1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved connector of a type where a female connector and a male connector are fitted into each other with a small force by the use of a lever.
2. Prior Art
FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a female connector and a male connector used for charging a battery of an electric car disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 60-24539. The connector includes a female connector (power-receiving connector) 61 fixed to the oar body and a male connector (power-supplying connector) 62 provided on the power-supplying apparatus. Upon fitting the cylindrical male connector 62 to the female connector 61, a pair of arms 67 engage engaging grooves 68 while the male terminal 63 is fitted into the female terminal 64. When an electric power is fed to the connectors, an electromagnet coil 65 is energized to descend a plunger to a position where the plunger 66 brings the arms 67 into a locking position. The female and male connectors cannot be disconnected from each other while power is being supplied. Upon completion of supplying power, the electromagnet coil 65 is deenergized to ascend a plunger 66 to a position where the plunger 66 can be pushed by hand so that the arms 67 are released from the annular fastening groove 68.
With the connector 62 of the above-described prior art connector, the arms, electromagnet coil 65, and plunger 66 are aligned on the axis where connectors A and B are fitted to each other. This arrangement is close to the path of a lead 71 of a cable 70. This leads to a large size and a complex interior construction of a connector, so that the connector cannot have as many terminals as are necessary for circuits for display, signals and control in addition to the power-supplying circuit.
Providing the connector with a multitude of terminals requires a large insertion force for fitting the female connector to the male connector making manual connection difficult. To overcome this deficiency, a variety of connectors have been proposed in Japanese Laid-open patent No. 4-87169 and Japanese Laid-open Utility model No. 3-127784. However, the force amplified by the lever may possibly damage the lever itself and the connector when the lever is operated if the female and male connectors are not properly fitted to each other.